Summary Ronnie O'Sullivan posted his 776th three-figure contribution on Thursday.
LONDON (AFP) - Ronnie O Sullivan took sole possession of the record for most professional career century breaks when he posted his 776th three-figure contribution on Thursday.
O Sullivan set a new mark in the opening frame of his eventual 6-1 Masters quarter-final win against Hong Kong s Marco Fu at London s Alexandra Palace, having equalled fellow multiple former world champion Stephen Hendry s record of 775 centuries with two hundreds during his tournament-opening win over Ricky Walden on Tuesday.
"I was a bit nervous, to be honest, because I knew everyone was thinking about it, so to get it out of the way was nice," O Sullivan told the BBC.
"But there was still a match to play -- (at) 1-0, I was like, Calm down ," he added.
Hendry, now commentating for BBC television, said of O Sullivan s record-breaking hundred: "It hasn t been in doubt from very early on. Every shot has been cued to perfection."
Local hero O Sullivan, 39, was cheered to the echo by the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation when his break ended on 101 after The Rocket lost position on the final red.
Five-times Masters champion O Sullivan raised his cue in acknowledgement of spectators applause.
However, Fu kept his composure to win the second frame and level the best of 11 match at 1-1 before O Sullivan, after a couple of hard-fought frames, pulled away to a convincing victory that saw him into the semi-finals of the Masters for the 11th time.
"Marco is playing consistently well, so I knew it was going to be a tough match," said O Sullivan.
"He is at the business end of most tournaments and he always plays well against me, so I knew I had to be on my game.
"The first four (frames) were a little bit hit and miss but I was pleased that I was able to not get frustrated and just try to compete and try to drain every bit out of those first four frames as I could."
